Posts Tagged ‘Celestial Elf’

My name is Elf

To introduce myself and my machinima animations.

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Hi , my name is Celestial Elf.
Im a Digital Druid, Pagan Poet, Shamanic Soul and Machinima animation artist
celebrating nature, spirit and the ancient ways.
In respect of my being an Eco-Druid–the short version is because I find my spirituality in and through Nature.

My name is “Celestial” because this denotes the heavens, the freedom of the skies and the beyond. “Elf” because of my affinity with the Norse origins of the term (álfar) describing semi-divine beings endowed with magical powers which they may use for the benefit of mankind.

The machinima films I make are animations filmed within a three dimensional virtual reality world.
Some of my films have been noted for their lovely music and im very happy to say that man musicians including Serpentyne, Lisa Thiel, The Dolmen, World Tree Music and Trouvere have made avaliable for my use specific compositions or songs that i can use in my films.

I make ecology and mythology based machinima animations to share my message of care for nature, the environment and all of life-kind, with the hope that some among the viewers will both enjoy an be uplifted by them–but more pressingly–be inspired by them to recognize the issues I address and take whatever actions available to them, great or small, to further the causes considered. Be it sharing my film to signing a petition, or changing their life in some way.

Regards my inspiration, perhaps the best explanation of all isJ.L. Stanley’s Catechism For A Witch’s Child:

When they ask to see your gods, your book of prayers,
Show them lines drawn delicately with veins on the underside of a bird’s wing,
Tell them you believe in giant sycamores mottled and stark against a winter sky,
And in nights so frozen stars crack open spilling streams of molten ice to earth,
And tell them how you drink a holy wine of honeysuckle on a warm spring day,
And of the softness of your mother who never taught you death was life’s reward,
But who believed in the earth and the sun and a million, million light years of being.

Had a fascinating weekend,
initially congratulating the Autumn Equinox Poetry Competition winners in Celestial Elf poetry group (2nd life)
and then configuring the Samhain/Halloween Poetry competition….
Which gave me occasion to consider the meaning of ‘Samhain’ and by extension, the Ancient Festivals in general….

”The Cycle of Seasons
To the Celts, time was circular, not linear – reflected in their starting each day, and therefore each festival, at dusk (as one day ends, the next begins). It was measured by the changing seasons, which represented the faces fo the goddess of the land.

The Celtic view of the circularity of time is also reflected in the Celtic year, beginning with Samhain at the end of October, when nature appears to be dying down, but could also be seen as preparing for a new life. Tellingly the first month of the Celtic year is Samonios: “Seed-fall”: in other words, life and light emerge from death and darkness.

Celtic Festivals
Celtic peoples preserved a sense of rhythm and continuity in their lives through the seasonal festivals. Many of these survive in some form today, the most notable relating to May Day and Halloween.

SAMHAIN
Pronounced “sauwain” was celebrated with ritual bonfires and is the origin of Halloween.
The Celtic year began with Samhain at the end of October, a time of deliberate misrule and contrariness.
It was also thought to be a time when the dead could return to warm themselves at the fires of the living, and when poets were able to enter the Otherworld.
Cattle were brought in for the winter, and in Ireland the warrior elite gave up war until Beltain (May Day).

IMBOLC
Coming at lambing time, around the end of January, Imbolc celebrated the beginning of the end of winter.
A dish made from the docked tails of lambs were eaten. Women met to celebrate the return of the goddess in her maiden aspect.
This survived into Christian times as the Feast of Brigid, this saint being a version of the daughter of Dagda.

BELTAIN
Beltain, celebrated around May 1, was sacred to the god Belenos.
In fact, the word “Beltain” derives from “Bel-tinne” – “fires of Bel”.
Beltain was an exuberant fire festival celebrating and encouraging fertility. Cattle were let out of winter quarters and driven between two fires in a cleansing ritual that may have had practical benefits, too.

LUGHNASADH
A summer festival lasting for as long as two weeks around the beginning of August
(neatly coinciding with Glastonbury festival haha ).
It takes its name from the god Lugh, who is said to have introduced it to Ireland.
Since Lugh was multiskilled, this festival was celebrated with competitions of skill, including horse-racing.
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Anyway,
the end result of burning all this midnight oil in refresher researching,
was that i was inspired to completely redesign my websitehttp://www.celestialelf.co.uk
as well as this Blogger, my YouTube and other networks….

I am always inclined to follow Nature’s lead and in this traditional time of change it seemed seasonal and seemly to take stock & renew , to celebrate and share the strength and joys of this year in every available medium.